red Harmless-mirth to be both his waiting-man and his lacquey and thus they got them masters. Thefe villains, being now got thus far into the houses of the men of Manfoul, quickly began to do great mifchief therein; for being filthy, arch, and fly, they foon corrupted the families where they were; yea, they tainted their mafters much, especially this Prudent-thrifty, and him they call Harmless-mirth. True, he that went under the vizor of Good-zeal was not fo well liked by his mafter, for he quickly found that he was but a counterfeit rafcal; the which when the fellow perceived, with speed he made his efcape from the houfe, or I doubt not but his master had hanged him. Well, when thefe vagabonds had thus far carried on their design, and had corrupted the Town as much as they could, in the next place they confidered with themfelves at what time their prince Diabolus without, and themselves within the Town, fhould make an attempt to A day of feize upon Manfoul; and they all agreed on worldly cum this, that a market-day would be the best for that work; for why, then will the townsfolk be bufy in their ways: and always take this for a rule, When people are most busy in the world, they leaft fear a furprise. We alfo then, faid they, fhall be able with lefs fufpicion to gather ourselves together for the work ber. Take heed of our friends and lords; yea, and in such a Manfoul. day, if we shall attempt our work and miss it, we may, when they fhall give us the rout, the better hide ourselves in the crowd and escape. These things being thus far agreed upon by them, they wrote another letter to Diabolus, and fent it by the hand of Mr Profane, the contents of which were thus: The The Lord's of Loofenefs fend to the great and high Diabolus, from our dens, caves, holes, and strong-holds, in and about the wall of the town of Manfoul, greeting. UR great Lord, and the nourisher of our lives, Diabolus; how glad we were when we heard of your fatherhood's readiness to comply with us, and help forward our defign, in our attempts to ruin Mansoul, none can tell, but those who, as we, do fet Rom. vii. 21. themselves against all appearance of good, Gal. v. 17. when and wherefoever we find it. "Touching the encouragement that your Greatness is pleafed to give us to continue to devise, contrive, and fudy the utter defolation of Manfoul, that we are not folicitous about; for we know right well that it cannot but be pleafing and profitable to us to fee our enemies, and them that feek our lives, to die at our feet, or flee before us. We therefore are still contriving, and that to the beft of our cunning, to make this work moft facile and easy to your lordships, and to us. Look to it First, we confidered of that moft hellishly cunning, compacted, three-fold project, that by you was propounded to us in your last ; and have Manfoul. concluded, that though to blow them up with the gunpowder of pride would do well, and to do it by tempting them to be loose and vain, will help on, yet to contrive to bring them into the gulf of defperation, we think, will do beft of all. Now we, who are at your beck, have thought of two ways to do this: Firft, we, for our parts, will make them as vile as we can, and then you with us, at a time appointed, fhall be ready to fall upon them with the utmoft force. And, of all the nations that are at your whistle, we think that an army of Ee 2 Doubters Take heed upon Doubters may be moft likely to attack and overcome the town of Manfoul, Thus fhall we overcome thefe enemies; elfe the Pit fhall open her mouth them, and Defperation fhall thruft them down into it. We have alfo, to effect this fo-muchby-us-defired defign, fent already three of our trusty Diabolonians among them; they are difguised in garb, they have changed their names, and are now accepted of them, to wit, Covetoufnels, Lafcivioufnefs, and Anger. The name of Covetoufnefs is changed to Prudent-thrifty; and him Mr Mind has hired, and is almost become as bad as our friend, Lafciviousness has changed his name to Harmless-mirth, and he is got to be the Lord Willbewill's lacquey, but he has made his mafter very wanton. Anger changed his name into Good-zeal, and was entertained by Mr Godly-fear; but the peevish old gentleman took pepper in the nofe, and turned our companion out of his houfe; nay, he has informed us fince, that he ran away from him, or elfe his old master had hanged him up for his labour. "Now these have much helped forward our work Look to it and defign upon Manfoul; for, notwithManfoul. ftanding the fpite and quarrelfome temper of the old gentleman laft mentioned, the other two play their business well, and are like to ripen the work apace. Our next project is, that it be concluded, that you come upon the Town upon a market-day, and thạt when they are upon the heat of their business; for then to be fure they will be moft fecure, and leaft think that an affault will be made upon them. They will also at fuch a time be lefs able to de fend themselves, and to offend you in the prosecution of our defign. And we, your trufty (and we are fure your beloved) ones, fhall, when you fhall make your Take heed furious furious affault without, be ready to fecond the bufinefs within. So fhall we in all likelihood be able to put Manfoul to utter confufion, and to swallow them up before they can come to themselves. If your ferpentine heads, moft fubitle dragons, and our highly efteemed lords, can find out a better way than this, let us quickly know your minds. "To the monsters of the infernal Cave, from the houfe of Mr Mischief in Mansoul, by the hand of Mr Profane. Now, all the while that the raging runagates and hellish Diabolonians were thus contriving The fad ftate the ruin of the town of Manfoul, they, to of Mansoul. wit, the poor Town itfelf, was in a fad and woeful cafe, partly because they had fo grievously offended Shaddai and his Son, and partly because that their enemies thereby got ftrength within them afresh; and alfo becaufe, though they had by many petitions made fuit to the Prince Emmanuel, and to his Father Shaddai by him, for their pardon and favour, yet hitherto obtained they not one fmile; but contrarywife, through the craft and fubtilty of the domeftic Diabolonians, their cloud was made to grow blacker and blacker, and their Emmanuel to ftand at further diftance. The fickness alfo did ftill greatly rage in Man foul, both among the captains and the inhabitants of the Town; their enemies, and their enemies only, were now lively and strong, and like to become the head, whilft Manfoul was made the tail. Profane arrives By this time the letter last mentioned, that was writ ten by the Diabolonians that yet lurked in the town of Manfoul, was conveyed to Dia. at Hell-gatebolus in the black Den, by the hand of Mr hill. Profane Profane. He carried the letter by Hell-gate-hill as a fore, and conveyed it by Cerberus to his lord. But, when Cerberus and Mr Profane did meet, they were prefently as great as beggars; and thus they fell into difcourfe about Manfoul, and about the project against her. Cer. "Ah, old friend," quoth Cerberus, art thou come to Hell-gate-hill again? By St Mary, Talk between him and Cer- I am glad to see thee." berus. Prof. "Yes, my lord, I am come again about the concerns of the town of Manfoul.” Cer." Prithee tell me, what condition is that town of Manfoul in at present?" Prof." In a brave condition, my lord, for us and for my lords, the lords of this place, I trow; for they are greatly decayed as to godlinefs, and that is as well as our hearts can with; their lord is greatly out with them, and that doth also please us well; we have already alfo a foot in their difh; for our Diabolonian friends are laid in their bofoms; and what do we lack but to be masters of the place? Besides, our trufty friends in Mansoul are daily plotting to betray it to the lords of this Town; also the fickness rages bitterly among them; and that which makes up all, we hope at laft to pre vail." Cer. Then faid the dog of Hell-gate, "No time like this to affault them: I wish that the enterprise be followed close, and that the fuccefs defired may be foon effected; yea, I wish it for the poor Diabolonians' fakes, that live in the continual fear of their lives in that traiterous town of Manfoul." Prof. "The contrivance is almost finished, the lords in Manfoul that are Diabolonians are at it day and night; and the other are like filly doves, they want heart |